All of us should strive to be more eco-friendly. After all, becoming environmentally conscious isn’t something that requires a lot of effort. It’s just about living in a way that isn’t hurting the environment around you.
You can make several changes to your day-to-day life and become less harmful to the environment in a matter of weeks, if not days.
We don’t think about it enough, but it is not only large-scale things that cause harm to our precious environment – it is the small ones, too. So, by making only a few changes in your daily life, you can help make our planet Earth healthy again.
Here’s how.
1. Recycle Your Waste
Don’t just put all of your trash in a bin and toss it in the nearest container. Make an effort to recycle some of it.
You don’t have to go all out at once. However, you can do the basics. Separate your trash into four basic categories – glass, paper, plastic and metal. You’ll be amazed at just how much of our waste belongs to either of these four categories or how remarkably easy it would be for us to recycle and reuse most of them.
Sure, you might have to walk a block or two until you reach the nearest recycling bins, but that’s a small price to pay for the environment.
2. Don’t Just Throw Away Stuff
It’s true – we live in a consumer society. We’re fed new and shiny objects and gadgets pretty much every day, which has led us to believe that new is always better. Well, that’s just not true, isn’t it?
You don’t have to throw away every old or broken appliance. You can fix them. Fixing the broken piece of equipment will not only help you save a few bucks, but it will also make an incredibly positive environmental impact while taking you a step closer to completely sustainable living.
3. Embrace Solar Energy
Granted, switching to solar energy might be easier said than done for a vast majority of people – but it’s not impossible. Sure, investing in solar panels for your home will be a sizeable investment not many are capable of, but if you are – you should most definitely do it.
Not only will this reduce your carbon footprint by a ton, but it will also save you a lot of money in the long run. Most people can’t seem to wrap their heads around this concept, but living an eco-friendly lifestyle is actually much better for your wallet. So, if you can’t be motivated by helping the planet, you can probably find some motivation in helping yourself save a few bucks.
5. Don’t Waste Water
You’ve probably heard this numerous times, but leaving the faucet on while you’re brushing your teeth is not the “greenest” of practices. Also, letting the shower run while you’re shampooing your hair or shaving your legs is also pretty wasteful.
And, we can’t forget to mention washing dishes. Don’t leave the faucet running! Fill your sink with water and reuse that same water to clean your dishes.
As you can see, it’s the small habits that make a big difference. Getting on top of these things requires minimal effort on your end, so it’s just irresponsible not to do any of them. Wouldn’t you agree?
6. Turn Off And Unplug Your Electronics
Your phone is on you at all times, so do you really need all those other electronics on? A great number of people are using their TV as background noise or light source, which is pretty much ludicrous. There are other, less power-hungry gadgets for that.
But, what’s even more important is that you unplug all the devices that you’re not using. If you’re going away for a week – there’s no need for you to keep your computer, TV or air dryer plugged in. Even if they’re off – they’re still sucking on electricity. So, pull the cord out.
7. Grow Your Food
If you have the time and space, you should probably consider growing your own veggies. Notice how we didn’t say if you have the skills? That’s because you can learn it in a few days, so don’t lie to yourself saying that you don’t know how to do it. You may not know, but you can easily learn.
But that’s beside the point. Just imagine if everyone could grow their own good. The emissions from large-scale food processing plants and other food industry related pollutants would literally get cut in half.
The same thing applies to meat. One of the world’s largest pollutants are meat processing plants and large-scale farms. Now, we are not foolish. Not everyone can be a farmer. But, what everyone can do is either lower the meat consumption or shop for meat that comes from eco-friendly, sustainable farms.
8. Stop Using Plastic
Plastic is arguably the number one pollutant on this planet, yet a large number of people are still heavily relying on it. That’s just ludicrous at this point. Do you really need to grab a plastic bag every time you shop for something? Do you really need to buy a bottle of water every time you’re thirsty? Why wouldn’t you just get a reusable tote bag and a reusable water bottle?
Once again, all these practices will not only help keep the planet alive and well but will also save you money in the long run. So, a win-win.
9. Stop Wasting Paper
We’re losing forests at a rapid pace, and a great reason for this massive deforestation is definitely matching the world’s paper needs. But, let us ask you this? Do we really need that much paper? We live in a digital world, so why the hell are we wasting so much paper?
While it is true that not all paper is used for writing or printing, that still is the number one use case scenario in today’s day and age, and quite frankly – that’s just ludicrous. If you can, do your part and stop wasting paper.
Don’t use paper towels if you don’t have to. Use bamboo toilet paper instead of regular toilet paper, or just invest in a bidet. Just do what you have to do to stop using paper. Air’s already polluted as it is, and getting rid of trees will certainly not help.
Conclusion:
As you can see, you can be eco-friendly with virtually no effort whatsoever. Changing a few simple habits will make a world of difference, and we certainly hope we’ve helped you realize that.